A qualitative study on factors that influence the degree of comfort experienced by patients undergoing respiratory endoscopy in combination with intravenous injections of remimazolam besylate and fentanyl

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the level of discomfort in patients undergoing respiratory endoscopy in order to provide experimental evidence for the formulation of a comfort assessment scale for this procedure, and for guiding future research and intervention measures.
 Methods: Using the phenomenological research method of qualitative research, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 patients who underwent respiratory endoscopy in the Respiratory Intervention Center of the Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine. The interview data were analyzed, and the theme was extracted using the Colaizzi 7-step analysis method. During the surgery, remimazolam besylate (intravenous injection, 5 - 7.5 mg) was used in combination with fentanyl (intravenous injection, 1 - 2 µg/kg) for flexible bronchoscopy examination.
 Results: From the interview data, 3 themes and 9 sub-themes that affect the comfort of patients undergoing respiratory endoscopic surgery were identified. These comprised individual factors (fear and worry about the outcome), family factors (family financial difficulties and lack of care from family), and medical care factors (attitude of medical caregivers, insufficient health education, unreasonable operation arrangements, inconvenient care, and surgical complications). 
 Conclusion: Patients undergoing respiratory endoscopy experience a higher degree of comfort when remimazolam besylate is used in combination with fentanyl. Medical staff should correctly identify the sources of discomfort in patients undergoing respiratory endoscopy under general anesthesia, and provide targeted interventions to improve the comfort experienced. Moreover, the quality of service provided by medical staff should be improved.